The Sapphires Becomes First Soundtrack Since Mamma Mia To Reach No 1

The new Australian feature film “The Sapphires” debuted at No.2 on the box-office report last week (with $2.475 million behind Dark Knight Rises’ $2.9 million), and this week on the ARIA Albums Chart, the soundtrack jumps up to No.1 becoming the first film soundtrack to make it to No.1 this decade, and the first locally produced soundtrack in over eleven years to claim a No.1 spot.

The Sapphires

Gavin Ryan reports, “The Sapphires” is the 41st soundtrack to make it to No.1 in Australia, this decade we have only had two TV Soundtracks make it to the top: “Glee Volume 3” (May 2010) and “Glee Volume 5” (March 2011). Prior to that we have to go back to July 2008 when the “Mamma Mia” soundtrack was at No.1 for five weeks, whilst the last soundtrack from a local film was the “Moulin Rouge” set which stayed at the top for eleven weeks from the end of May 2001.

The soundtrack to “The Sapphires” is the 651st No.1 Album in Australia (1965 to 2012) and the 510th for ARIA (1983 to 2012). We have never had a ‘sapphire’ at No.1 before, and you could technically say that it’s the first No.1 album for Jessica Mauboy, as she sings a large majority of the cast’s tracks, but there is also previously released material on the album, so it’s not all about her.

After one week at the top, Ed Sheeran’s “+” is down to No.2, but he should be happy that the album scores a third Top 10 single this week as “Drunk” climbs up into the Top 10. “Some Nights” by fun. holds at No.3, and also holding this week is Missy Higgins at No.6 with “The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle”.

“Believe” for Justin Bieber climbs back up three places to No.5, “My Journey” for Karise Eden drops five places to No.7, and also down, but only four places are Maroon 5 with “Overexposed”, dropping to No.8 this week. Last week’s nine and ten swap places this week, with “Teenage Dream” for Katy Perry back up one place to No.9, and “Up All Night” for One Direction down a place to No.10.

The highest new entry of the week is at No.4, Adam Brand’s ninth studio album “There Will Be Love”, becoming his second Top 10 album and also his highest charting album ever. Adam’s entire ARIA Albums chart history is listed below…

Entry Date|HP|WI|Titles
01-Feb-99|44|13|Adam Brand
13-Mar-00|26|12|Good Friends
21-Jan-02|24|10|Built for Speed
16-Aug-04|16|09|Get Loud
17-July-06|28|08|What a Life
28-Jan-08|10|09|Blame it on Eve
15-Sep-08|68|05|Greatest Hits 1998-2008
16-Mar-09|19|10|Hell of a Ride
30-Aug-10|11|06|It’s Gonna Be OK
20-Aug-12|04|*1|There Will Be Love
* still charting

NEW PEAKS & MOVERS: “Blunderbuss” (HP-2) for Jack White continues to re-climb the ARIA Top 100 Albums chart, back up seven places to No.13. “Wild Ones” (HP-5) for Flo Rida is back up twelve places to No.15, and scoring a new peak of No.16 is the self-titled album for Birdy, up nine places this week thanks to her new Top 20 single “People Help the People” (TW-20).

Chris Brown’s “Fortune” makes its first upward chart movement so far (2-15-21-26-30-18) as it climbs back up twelve places to No.18, whilst the new re-packaged “Future History” for Jason DeRulo leaps up twenty-five places to No.26. Also another R’n’B act who jumps back up is Usher, “Looking 4 Myself” is back up twenty-four places to No.28.

With a new Top 20 hit in “Turn Up the Love” (TW-14), Far East Movement’s album “Dirty Bass” returns to the Top 100 at No.37, a new peak for the album. Also re-entering the Top 100, thanks to their Olympic closing ceremony appearances are The Spice Girls at No.48 with their “Greatest Hits” (HP-1) and Emeli Sande’s “Our Version of Events” (HP-32) at No.51.

DOWN DOWN: Falling out of the Top 10 after leaping back in last week are The Hilltop Hoods who fall back to No.21 this week with “Drinking from the Sun”. Just above them at No.20 is Darren Percival who falls nine spots this week with his “Happy Home” album. 360 scored another Top 30 hit this week, but his “Falling & Flying” album is down nine spots to No.27, and down ten places to No.32 is Rachael Leachar with “Shooting Stars”.

Final Voice contest Sarah De Bono is down sixteen spots to No.42 with her “No Shame” album, and Elton John’s “Rocket Man” falls down thirteen places to No.50 after leaping back into the top fifty last week. Big fall-out of the week is the “Australian Tour Pack” for Ed Sheeran which debuted at No.43 last week, but is out of the Top 100 altogether this week.

Melbourne six-piece band Alpine enter at No.11 with the debut album “A is for Alpine”, whilst the next new entry to the Top 100 is not until No.43, “A Symphony of British Music: London 2012 Closing Ceremony” and right behind that at No.44 is local country singer Catherine Britt with her fifth studio album “Always Never Enough”, becoming her highest charting album here, beating the No.47 peak of her second album “Too Far Gone” (Feb 2006).

Lower 50: There are NO new peaking albums in the lower half of the Top 100 Albums this week, but there are plenty of returning albums; “Nightflight” (HP-2) for Kate Miller-Heidke is back in at No.74; the “Jersey Boys” (HP-32) Soundtrack returns at No.76; “Heaven” (HP-14) by Rebecca Ferguson is back at No.85; “Believe” (HP-59) for Celtic Woman at No.88; “Watch the Throne” (HP-2) for Jay-Z and Kanye West returns at No.90; former No.1 “Torches” for Foster the People is back at No.93 and Lanie Lane’s “To the Horses” (HP-12) returns at No.99.

The only new entry lower down is “Storm” for Celtic Thunder at No.92. Expect this album to jump in the next couple of weeks as Australia gets closer to Father’s Day in September. This is their third album to chart this year after “Heritage” (HP-30) in February and then “Heartland” (HP-18) in May.

Comments

The top four albums this week are all debuts, but taking out the No.1 spot with their tenth studio album is Metallica and "Hardwired... to Self Destruct", the bands sixth No.1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

In a week where major new albums are out for three proven No.1 debutees like Elvis, Gaga and Buble, this week's No.1 album is the same as last week, Jessica Mauboy with the TV Soundtrack to her series "The Secret Daughter", and it achieves Gold (●) this week also.